Page 30 of Her Last Confession

Rachel kept her weapon steady, even as her mind raced through the implications of what they'd found. The authentic EndLight pod in the storage unit. Kent's desperate flight. It placed him under a very bright spotlight. Yes, there would need to be more evidence gathered, but for right now, it seemed like he was their killer.

"Get out. Slowly," Novak ordered, his gun never wavering from Kent's chest. "Keep your hands where we can see them."

As Kent complied, sliding awkwardly from the truck's cab, Rachel caught something in his expression—not just fear, but something deeper. Desperation? Guilt? Or perhaps...

She wasn’t sure. She did her best to sort it out as she watched Officer Matthew lend an assist by cuffing Dr. Kent. The end had seemed to come along fast and without much warning, but she knew that’s just how it went sometimes. It was hard to feel that things were closed when everything still felt as if it were moving forward at one hundred miles per hour.

The sound of approaching sirens filled the air as backup units responded to their location—likely sent and led by SergeantBriggs. But Rachel barely heard them. She was too focused on Kent's face, on the way his expression had shifted from terror to something almost like a strange kind of relief.

They had their man, but she felt that this whole thing was far from over.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

The Wyler County Police Department was a small and unassuming precinct, typically handling nothing more exciting than the occasional drunk driver or petty theft. But as Rachel and Novak entered with Dr. Marcus Kent between them, the building was now a hive of activity. Officers darted between desks, phones rang incessantly, and the air crackled with an energy that seemed foreign to the dated wood-paneled walls and yellowing ceiling tiles. The usual smell of stale coffee and printer toner was overwhelmed by the charged atmosphere of urgency.

Rachel stood in the lobby while Kent was being processed. Her legs still felt unsteady from the high-speed chase, though she'd never admit it to anyone, least of all her new partner. The adrenaline crash was starting to hit, leaving her with that familiar hollow feeling in her stomach. She'd been through enough of these moments to know it would pass, but that didn't make it any easier. She also knew the fact that she’d had no sleep in about thirty hours was responsible for part of this feeling.

Kent's distinguished features remained a mask of resigned calm as officers took his fingerprints. His hands didn't shake, his expression didn't waver – not the typical behavior of someone who'd just been arrested after a high-speed pursuit. Rachel had seen enough guilty men to know their tells, but Kent's composure was throwing her usually reliable instincts into confusion.

The booking officer's voice droned in the background, reading Kent his rights for the second time. Rachel could still see the sleek, deadly suicide pod in the storage unit—where Kent had tried to keep his secret, deadly work hidden. How many more of these machines were out there? How many morelives hung in the balance while they stood here, processing paperwork?

"Hell of a catch," a familiar voice said from beside her. She turned and spotted Detective Wheeler looking around at the controlled chaos of the moment. His weathered face broke into a smile as he clapped Novak on the shoulder. "Both of you. Damn fine work."

Rachel noticed how Novak straightened slightly at the praise. Despite their occasional tensions, she had to admit he'd performed brilliantly during the chase. Maybe Jack had been right about him after all – a thought that brought both comfort and a twinge of something like guilt. She hadn’t even thought to check in with her family this morning.

As the paperwork was finished up, a portly-looking man came walking over. The lapel over his breast read BRIGGS. His salt-and-pepper hair was disheveled, suggesting he'd been running his hands through it a lot recently.

“Agents, I’m Sergeant Briggs,” he said. "Just wanted you to know that we have an interrogation room ready whenever you need it. Just say the word if you need anything else."

“Thanks so much,” Novak said. “And wherever Office Matthews is, let him know we appreciate the assist. He played a big part in this arrest.”

“Okay,” the booking officer finally said. “He’s all yours.”

Novak gave Kent a little nudge as Briggs led them around a small bullpen area and toward a narrow corridor. Rachel studied Kent as they walked – his measured steps, his straight posture, the way his eyes darted around taking in every detail. She'd learned long ago that monsters came in all forms, but something about Kent's demeanor wasn't fitting the profile she'd constructed in her mind.

The interrogation room was small, barely large enough for the metal table and two chairs it contained. The walls were apale, institutional green that had probably been intended to be soothing but instead created an atmosphere of subtle unease. A large mirror dominated one wall – the observation window, behind which Rachel suspected Wheeler and Briggs would be watching every move.

Kent sat without being asked, folding his hands on the table in front of him. The overhead light cast harsh shadows across his face, emphasizing the lines of fatigue around his eyes. Now, sitting in an interrogation room, the man started to look nervous again. Rachel took the seat across from him while Novak positioned himself against the wall, arms crossed. The pose was meant to be intimidating, and Rachel had to admit he pulled it off well.

She took a moment to arrange her thoughts, letting the silence build. It was an old technique, one she'd learned early in her career – sometimes the weight of silence could crack a suspect faster than any question. But Kent seemed unaffected, his breathing steady, his gaze direct.

"Let's not waste time," Rachel said finally, her voice steady. "Two people are dead, Dr. Kent. Two people who survived suicide attempts, killed in pods identical to the one we found in your storage unit. And we’re assuming that it would take someone with a great deal of knowledge on how to build those pods to pull this off. Care to explain?"

Kent's laugh was hollow, empty of humor. The sound bounced off the bare walls, making it seem larger than it was. "I knew this was coming. From the moment you two knocked on my door that first time, I knew exactly what you were thinking." He leaned forward, his eyes meeting Rachel's. "And I understand completely why you'd think so."

The fluorescent light flickered momentarily, creating a strobe-like effect that made Rachel blink. When her vision cleared, Kent's expression had softened slightly, showingsomething that looked remarkably like compassion. She was shocked to see the glimmer of tears in his eyes.

"If you understand our line of reason and are trying to state that you’re innocent, then you better start explaining why you have a stolen EndLight pod in a storage unit in the middle of nowhere," Rachel countered, her words sharp and precise. She could feel Novak shift behind her, picking up on the tension in her voice.

Kent's shoulders slumped slightly, the first crack in his composed facade. "I stole it during transit in Woodbridge yesterday. I found the shipping route easily enough because I still have backdoor ways of getting into EndLight’s files and data systems. But I didn’t steal it for the reasons you’re assuming." He ran a hand through his graying hair, the gesture making him look suddenly older, more vulnerable. "EndLight was cutting corners. Dangerous corners. I tried to warn them, tried to go through proper channels. No one would listen. But…you already know all of this."

"So you decided to steal company property?" Novak pushed off from the wall, his voice heavy with skepticism. He moved to stand beside Rachel, a subtle show of partnership that didn't go unnoticed.

"I needed proof," Kent insisted, his voice rising slightly. "Concrete evidence of how easily their technology could be replicated, how dangerous it was to rush these pods into production. But I neverkilledanyone." His hand slammed down on the table, the sound sharp and sudden in the small room. “I was so stubborn about trying to prove my point with those peoplebecauseI wanted to save lives…to make sure these designs were never replicated. And…lo and behold, it appears somehow has done it.Just like I was afraid of!”

Rachel studied his face, looking for the telltale signs of deception she'd learned to spot over years of interrogations. Hiseyes remained steady, his breathing even. Either he was telling the truth, or he was one of the most accomplished liars she'd ever encountered. The problem was, in her experience, the truly dangerous ones were often the best at appearing sincere.

"Give us a minute, would you, Dr. Kent?" she said abruptly, standing. Her chair scraped against the floor, the sound harsh and metallic. She nodded to the door as she locked eyes with Novak. He followed her out into the hallway, closing the door behind them with a soft click.

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